Anthropogenic Impact on Nature in the Plains Along the Aras in the Nakhchivan

The article examines the changes that have taken place in the Nakhchivan by characterizing the anthropogenic factors affecting the natural landscape structures. In recent years, the anthropogenic dynamics of natural landscapes have accelerated by rapid population growth and the expansion of private farms. Also, the concept of nature protection and its efficient use makes the concept of landscape development (evolution) even more relevant. Anthropogenic, especially technogenic impacts on nature are manifested in both positive and negative forms in the longitudinal zone covering 32.9% of the territory of the Autonomous Republic. According to the dynamics of anthropogenic landscapes in the area can be classified as weakly altered, disturbed or strongly altered and special cultural landscapes. We have also explored cultural landscapes as follows: 1. For high productivity and economic income; 2. According to human health and the optimality of the ecological environment; The first group includes areas covering the main agricultural crops of the Autonomous Republic, and the second group includes green areas, parks, recreation areas and infrastructure serving the health of the population etc. that have been expanding in recent years. The article also discusses environmental problems in the field of anthropogenic complexes, reproductive modifications and their solutions. In the end, the causes of anthropogenization, the problems encountered the analysis of them in accordance with the physical and geographical conditions, the ways to solve them on a scientific basis, a number of recommendations and suggestions were made.

AMPLITUDE-PHASE DISTRIBUTION MEASUREMENT PLANE DIMENSIONS INFLUENCE ON THE HOLOGRAPHIC METHOD ANTENNA ARRAY RADIATION PATTERN RECONSTRUCTION ERRORS

The article explores the holographic method of measuring the antenna pattern. A flat antenna array is used as the antenna under test, and a planar rectangular surface is used as the surface on which the amplitudephase distribution in the near field is measured. Using the example of a flat antenna array, we consider the influence of the size of the measurement surface of the amplitude-phase distribution of the field in a plane orthogonal to the reconstruction plane of the radiation pattern. Antenna emitters are excited with a combined amplitude distribution and linear phase distribution. The field in the longitudinal zone of the lattice is determined using the Kirchhoff integral. The reconstructed radiation patterns are estimated using the amplitude-phase distribution over the entire measurement plane in comparison with the array radiation pattern in the far zone. A numerical analysis of the influence on the errors in determining the parameters of the lattice radiation pattern using the holographic method is also carried out: the number of columns of the amplitude-phase distribution on the measurement plane, the position of this plane in three coordinates relative to the plane of the aperture of the lattice. It is shown that if the spacing of the points of measurement of the amplitude-phase distribution and the pitch of the lattice are equal, to restore the radiation pattern using the holographic method, it is sufficient to use one column of the amplitude-phase distribution on the measurement plane. This greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of the measurement process and the necessary equipment. Examples of determining errors in measuring the parameters of the antenna array when shifting the plane of measurement of the amplitude-phase distribution in three coordinates are given.

Spawning by the European eel across 2000 km of the Sargasso Sea

It has been known for about a century that European eels have a unique life history that includes offshore spawning in the Sargasso Sea about 5000–7000 km away from their juvenile and adult habitats in Europe and northern Africa. Recently hatched eel larvae were historically collected during Danish, German and American surveys in specific areas in the southern Sargasso Sea. During a 31 day period of March and April 2014, Danish and German research ships sampled for European eel larvae along 15 alternating transects of stations across the Sargasso Sea. The collection of recently hatched eel larvae (≤12 mm) from 70° W and eastward to 50° W showed that the European eel had been spawning across a 2000 km wide region of the North Atlantic Ocean. Historical collections made from 1921 to 2007 showed that small larvae had also previously been collected in this wide longitudinal zone, showing that the spatial extent of spawning has not diminished in recent decades, irrespective of the dramatic decline in recruitment. The use of such a wide spawning area may be related to variations in the onset of the silver eel spawning migration, individual differences in their long-term swimming ability, or aspects of larval drift.

Reproduction of Characteristics of Extracellular Matrices in Specific Longitudinal Depth Zone Cartilage within Spherical Organoids in Response to Changes in Osmotic Pressure

Articular chondrocytes are surrounded by chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, which attracts an abundant volume of interstitial water. The articular cartilage is compressed with joint-loading and weight-bearing stresses, followed by a bulging of the tissue during times of off-loading. Thus, osmotic pressure in articular cartilage is higher than in other tissues due to the fixed charged density and altered between loading and off-loading due to change in water content. Another unique characteristic of the articular cartilage is that it has longitudinal depth: surface, middle, and deep zones. Since each zone composes unique components of extracellular matrices, each zone has a various level of the osmotic pressure. It was unclear how changes in osmotic pressure affected chondrocyte homeostasis and matrix accumulation in specific longitudinal zone. We hypothesized that change in extrinsic osmotic pressure alters metabolic functions and histogenesis of extracellular matrix by zone-specific chondrocytes. We compared the gene expression of matrix related typical anabolic and catabolic molecules produced by zone specific articular chondrocytes and the immunohistology of these corresponding genes. Since the newly synthesized matrix needed a space to accumulate, we used a chondrocyte-spheroid model formed by longitudinal depth zone-derived cells and altered extrinsic osmotic pressure by changing media containing different osmotic pressures. Anabolic molecules upregulated continuously at high osmotic pressure and transiently by switching back the osmotic pressure from high to low. Each zone derived chondrocytes showed zone specific level of the gene expression. The spheroids once exposed to the high osmotic pressure accumulated extracellular matrices with empty spaces.

Propagating and Nonpropagating MJO Events over Maritime Continent*

The observed outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and ERA-Interim data during 1979–2008 (from November to April) were analyzed to reveal fundamental differences between eastward-propagating (EP) and nonpropagating (NP) MJO events across the Maritime Continent (MC). It was found that when the maximum MJO convection arrives near 120°E, a positive moisture tendency lies in a longitudinal zone (10°S–10°N, 130°–170°E) for the EP cases, whereas a negative tendency appears in the same region for the NP cases. In the latter cases, there are clearly detectable westward-propagating Rossby wave–type dry signals over the equatorial central-western Pacific. The dry Rossby-wave signal may hinder the development of new convection to the east of the MJO convective center, preventing the eastward propagation of the MJO. A moisture budget analysis shows that the positive tendency of specific humidity in the EP composite is mainly attributed to the advection of the mean moisture by an intraseasonal ascending motion anomaly, whereas the negative tendency in the NP composite arises from the advection of anomalous dry air by the mean easterly and the advection of the mean moisture by the anomalous easterly. The EP cases were further separated into two groups: a group with, and a group without, a clear suppressed convective phase of OLR to the east of the MJO convection. In the former (latter), the column-integrated moisture anomaly is negative (positive) to the east of the convection. Nevertheless, MJO crosses the MC in both of the groups, in which anomalous moisture tendency is always positive to the east of the MJO convection. Such positive tendencies are caused by different processes. In the former, anomalous horizontal advections associated with eddy moisture transport and mean moisture advection by intraseasonal meridional wind play an important role. In the latter, it is mainly attributed to mean moisture advection by anomalous vertical velocity.

Seismicity and structure of the Kopet Dagh (Iran, U. S. S. R.)

The region considered under the general term ‘Kopet Dagh’ is located east of the Caspian Sea, and includes Northeast Iran and southern Soviet Turkmenia. The regional tectonics are reviewed with special emphasis on the post-Alpine ‘Diagonal Fault System’. The seismicity over the last 100 years is studied, and the four strongest earthquakes in Northeast Iran, i.e. 1871/2, 1893 and 1895 Quchan and 1929 BaghanGermab, are described in detail for the first time on the basis of new bibliographical and field data. These four earthquakes were located on the NNW-SSE ‘Bakharden-Quchan Zone’, which forms part of the Diagonal Fault System. The 1929 earthquake in particular was accompanied by a surface fracture over 50 km long caused by reactivation of one of the faults of this Zone. Russian work on the seismotectonic aspects of the 1948 Ashkhabad earthquake which occurred in an adjoining zone, and migration of seismic activity in the Kopet Dagh since about 1870, are examined. The overall seismotectonics of the Kopet Dagh are interpreted in terms of an eastern ‘NNW trend’ which is separated by a longitudinal zone of relative quiescence near 56-57° E from a western ‘NNE trend’. Active surface structures throughout the region are on average consistent with a tectonic model based on a NNE motion of Iran with respect to the Turan Plate. Many tectonic features are characteristic of the margins of converging continental plates.

De quelques particularites de la chaine alpine d'Hidaka au Japon

The Hidaka alpine range is characterized by metamorphism in the andalusite-sillimanite-cordierite facies and is located at the southern end of the SSE-NNW-trending tectonic arc of Hokkaido. The axial zone of the Hidaka range is composed of migmatites which formed at the expense of metamorphic rocks in the surrounding series of Mesozoic age. Gabbros, some of which contain peridotite, outcrop in a longitudinal zone paralleling the structural trend. The concomitant relationship between these two series is suggested by the occurrence of gabbros in or on the borders of the migmatite domes and by the causal relationship between the basic intrusions and the migmatizations.